The present invention relates generally to materials processing and, in particular, to the fabrication of corrosion and erosion resistant components for use in industrial applications.
Historically, steel alloys have been utilized in countless industrial applications. And despite the recent widespread development and commercialization of so-called “high-performance” materials (e.g., alloys, ceramics, and composites), steel alloys are still actively used in many such applications. This is likely attributable to their relatively unique combination of high strength and low cost.
The use of steel alloys in some types of industrial applications, however, is contraindicated. Among such applications are certain offshore oil refineries in which pipes and tubes are used to carry and transport oil. The reactivity of components of the oil (e.g., hydrogen sulfide) causes corrosion of the inner surfaces of the steel pipes/tubes in an unacceptably short amount of time, which can be even further shortened by turbulent flow of the oil and due to abrasion and/or erosion caused by particles suspended in the oil.
One solution to the shortcomings encountered when using steel alloys in fluid transport applications is to instead use components containing high concentrations of nickel, chromium or cobalt in such applications. The problem is that although such components exhibit increased corrosion and erosion resistance, the expense of fabricating such alloys renders their use on such a scale cost prohibitive.
Some in the art have experimented with a compromise, namely lining portions of steel pipes and tubes with corrosion resistant materials in order to gain corrosion resistance. It has proven difficult, however, to do so inexpensively while ensuring that the resulting product not only exhibits increased corrosion resistance, but also is durable and accurately shaped.
Therefore, a need exists for a technique to fabricate a corrosion resistant component from a strong and inexpensive, yet corrosion-susceptible material such as steel by cladding the steel with one or more comparatively expensive, corrosion and/or erosion resistant materials in order to cost effectively increase the corrosion and/or erosion resistance of the steel without hampering its innate strength, and while being able to control the shape of the resulting component.